The Ultimate Power in Ooo
by N0W 0R N3V3R
Summary: After discovering and unleashing his darker side during a battle against some bandits, Finn undergoes a journey to discover himself and his true potential. [This story is, in fact, a crossover. However, due to the fact that I plan on crossing into multiple worlds, for varying amounts of story time, it is far simpler to simply leave it as a regular story. Hope you enjoy!]
1. Chapter 1

**What's up everyone? It's me again, here to make your eyes bleed after witnessing another awful story cranked out by yours truly! (Insert sexy wink)**

**In all seriousness though, for those of you who follow me for my other stories, I sincerely apologize for my absence. (I'm sure you all simply could't live without updates for The New Player and Fight the Good Fight) Unfortunately, writer's block is truly a heartless b*****. So those stories, while I absolutely refuse to discontinue them, will definitely not receive regular updates, although they will hopefully get updates of some kind. Hopefully you all enjoy this story, sidetracking from my usual gaming cross-overs, because at the moment, it has the majority of my attention due to the limitless possibilities of what I can do with the story. So sit back, relax, kick up your feet, and feel free to tear me a new one for putting in this ridiculously long message that the majority of readers are gonna skip over! (^_^)**

**[PS I don't own any of the titles or characters mentioned in this chapter, only the plot is mine. Or is it...?]**

* * *

"Finn! We got skeleton bandits incoming, a whole horde of them! Right in the middle of my nap too!" Jake shouted groggily as a large crowd of well-armed, bloodthirsty skeletal highwaymen crested a distant hill. Bandit activity all across Ooo had nearly ceased, thanks to the dynamic duo, Finn the Human and Jake the Dog. This particular group, however, had taken the lack of competition as a chance to grow and expand its holdings. They had received a single warning from the Hero of Ooo, stating simply that if they did not cease their activities, he would kick their butts.

They didn't take the warning lightly; the 18-year old human and his dog were a force to be reckoned with. After days of debate, the leader of the bandits, a very large, middle-aged goblin that had been granted power by a crystal apple he consumed, announced that it was well worth the risk. He decided that the only way for them to succeed would be to attack the hero's home in force, overwhelm him, and kill him. The display of power would gain many followers, not to mention the loot that was rumored to simply lie around the Tree-Fort. They would all be rich, and then nobody in all of Ooo would stand against their might. And so they set the plan in motion.

"How many bro?" Finn shouted as he struggled to don his steel-plated armor, a prize from one of their more recent adventures.

"At least fifty, man, maybe more! What's the plan?" Jake called back to him. The group was still a ways away, but closing fast. "We got like five minutes before they start knockin' on our door, and I get the feeling they ain't here for no viola concierto. Think you could get a move on?" He continued, yelping in surprise as Finn plummeted from the second-story window and landed next to him. Jake whistled at the sight of his younger brother.

Decked out in a mixture of steel-plate and chain mail, a crossbow slung over his shoulder and the Family Sword in one hand, a kite-shield (found with the armor) in the other, he was a fearsome sight. His head, usually covered by his bear-cap, was replaced by a steel helm that had been reforged to also have two ear-like shapes rising from the top of the helm. He _had_ always liked the ears.

"Where are they?" He asked, his field of vision slightly hampered by the full helm.

"Right over there, dude." Jake said, pointing in the indicated direction. "Hey, aren't those the same bandits you threatened to whoop if they didn't stop robbing people?"

Finn squinted at the banner flying above the charging foes: simply a large red rag on a pole. He nodded. "It sure is. Apparently they didn't like their options very much. We try to be civilized, so they attack us... Man, that's messed up! Do you know what time it is Jake?" Finn asked pleasantly, his smile hidden under the helmet's visor.

"Hmm. About half-past four." The dog stated, doing his best to keep a straight face.

"Well, yeah. But it's also bandit butt-kicking time!" His voice carried across the fields, straight to the ears of the charging horde. It carried farther; farther than it should have, and found its way into the ears of a violet-clad, hooded, ghostly child. As he listened to the words, his body changed to that of an old man. A smile graced his lips for the first time in over 1000 years.

"Right on schedule. The hero has finally begun his journey... Now my work can finally begin." A clock placed in his chest began ticking in his excitement. After hundreds of years of waiting, it was finally time. He chuckled at the thought of Time... It had always held a different meaning for him. As he began floating toward the source of the voice, his body changed again, this time to a man in his mid- to late- twenties.

He reached the top of a small hill and looked down at the sight unfolding before him. A large group - the bandits - was charging toward a large house set into the very trunk of a large tree. At the base of the tree-house stood a figure in steel armor, accompanied by a large yellow bulldog, standing upright on two legs.

'Ahh, the magical dog.' He thought to himself. He continued watching with renewed interest as the steel-armored warrior raised his visor, shouting at the charging horde to halt. A few golden locks of hair spilled out of the helmet and the ghost managed to see his face. His clock skipped a few ticks as he processed the image. "As it should be," He spoke to himself. "A living, breathing, human warrior." He smiled again, lowering himself to the ground and laying his clock-staff on the grass beside him. As was his duty, he would observe this battle, and interfere only if the flow of time demanded it.

The two figures charged into the oncoming crowd, which had ignored the order to halt. The dog grew slightly larger and now stood head-and-shoulders above the tallest skeletons in the group. His fists morphed into clubs, and he quickly sent two of the would-be attackers flying. Another swipe of his hands yielded the same results. The human unleashed a crossbow bolt into one skeleton's skull, ripping it off it's flimsy neck and sending it flying into another's chest, crushing the brittle ribs. Both of them disintegrated. He then unsheathed his sword and brought his shield onto his left arm, blocking a blow from a tall skeleton. He brought his sword in a horizontal swipe, cleaving off its leg at the knee. The large skeleton toppled over to the side, nearly crushing a smaller one. As the small one struggled to free itself, the human brought his sword down onto its neck, sending the skull bouncing. The large one managed to sit up and took another swipe at the human with his axe. The warrior parried the blow with his sword, which he then threw, sending it through one of its empty eye sockets. With the freakishly large skeleton dead (deader?) he yanked the sword from the skull and flourished it, cleaving another skeleton in half.

As this took place, the bulldog smashed another skeleton into the ground with his foot, leaving only its head above the ground. He sent another three skeleton warriors flying with a swish of his paws, and then turned to face another dozen. The human warrior fired another two bolts into the dozen, bringing the numbers down to ten.

"Y'all ready to surrender yet?" He called mockingly.

The leader of the now nearly obliterated horde stepped forward, his blue crystal body shimmering as he spoke.

The ghost, a child once more, frowned in disgust. 'Enter the arrogant fool...'

"Finn the Human... Do you really believe you can defeat us? I hold the power of the crystal apple, a rare and powerful artifact that even you cannot destroy! So what about you, are you ready to surrender?" He asked, cackling madly with power.

Finn paused, finally realizing what had been so familiar about the crystal covering the Bandit King's body. "Wow." He said quietly.

The goblin began laughing even more loudly. "Only now do you realize how futile your efforts are! You are no match for me! Surrender and I may spare your pitiful life... If you aid me in my quest for dominance over all Ooo." He said, giving an evil grin.

"Not happening dude." Was his only response.

"...What?" The Bandit King asked in surprise. He couldn't believe his ears. "You... You dare defy me? In all my power and glory, you're refusing my offer?!" He shrieked, letting off a burst of uncontrolled energy, unintentionally turning his remaining followers into crystallized dust. Needless to say, he wasn't very happy about this either. "I- I'm gonna teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" He shouted, launching a crystal shard as long as a sword from his wrist.

The ghost, old once more, watched, still expecting the hero to take the blow in his shield, but knowing he wouldn't. Instead, he watched impassively as the dog, knowing his brother would not bring his shield to bear in time, jumped in front of the projectile. The shard penetrated his unarmored body, barely poking through his back. The ghost narrowed his eyes in hatred. "A shame that such a noble creature would have to sacrifice himself for the greater good."

Jake the Dog slowly dropped to his knees, staring at the protruding object in a mixture of surprise and resignation as he slowly fell on his back at the feet of his brother.

All sound in the area around the tree-house ceased as Finn the Human stooped down and cradled his brother in his arms. "Jake..."

"I'm... sorry Finn, I couldn't- I couldn't let him kill you, bro."

"But this isn't right Jake." Finn said, tears filling his eyes. "Your croak dream..."

"Finn..." He choked out, managing a smile… a last smile. "I've died before now, you know that. Remember that time on Mars? My croak dream was a dud. I- I need you to be strong Finn. For me. Tell Lady and the kids... I'll be waiting." He slowly closed his eyes, and let out a breath that he had been holding his entire life, the breath of his soul.

Finn stared down at the stiff body of his brother, his best friend. Many things stirred within him, things not seen in millennia, things that would not be seen ever again.

"And so it begins." The middle-aged ghost said aloud, only for himself to hear.

Finn stood slowly and stared with blazing hatred at the monster responsible for his loss. The crystal goblin looked at him with surprise; this was not what it had intended.

He was far too stupid to fully grasp the concept of his mistake. He began to laugh. "Haha! At last, you see my power! What do you have to say now? Still too mighty to give up?" His next words sealed his fate. "Or perhaps your girlfriend needs to join him in-"

Something broke within Finn's very being while something else seemed to wake up, and a phrase danced before his eyes, filling his every thought. It would gain his vengeance, it would avenge his brother. It would protect his true love, when it could have protected Jake.

He drew in a deep breath, exhaled, then took an even deeper breath and shouted at the monster that had single-handedly ruined his life.

"_**Confringite**__!_"

The shout contained so much power; it rang across all of Ooo. Farmers, shopkeepers, civilians, and royalty alike turned from their work and listened as the sound washed over them like a great wave. It contained so much anguish, the great Cosmic Owl itself let out a mournful cry. It contained so much hatred, so much rage, that the actual target of it all felt cracks run along his entire impervious crystal body. He screeched in agony as blood ran from his body like a waterfall, pooling at his feet. He could only watch in horror as the warrior, the boy he had caused so much pain, walked toward him slowly, a cold gleam flashing in his once kind blue eyes.

"Tell me, Crystal Bandit," The Human spoke, his voice filled with enough acid to burn the Lich alive. "Do you realize what you've done? You killed my brother and threatened my Princess. You celebrated your victory over me before Jake's body was even cold. Somehow, you awoke something inside me that I have never felt before. Not only that, but for the first time, you have forced me to kill out of _pure hatred_." His deep voice held something more in it, a darkness so deep and black that the crystallized goblin feared he would fall into it and never stop tumbling down.

"Who- who did I force you to kill?" He asked quietly as pain wracked his body, although he feared he already knew the answer.

Finn looked at him for a moment, a hidden emotion deep within his eyes. He extended his hand outward, towards the wretched creature and, using all his focus, lifted it into the air. He spoke one, single, solitary word before forcefully closing his hand into a fist.

"_You_."

The crystal beast shattered into millions of tiny shards, covering the ground in every direction. The warrior lowered his fist, allowing the power to recede back within himself. His deep blue eyes, once filled by nothing but love and compassion, were tinged with a sickly yellow, and a blue star burned behind his irises. He had felt the full brunt of what he was capable of and had taken the life of his brother's killer. He had protected his soul mate. He had permanently removed a great evil from the world. He had unknowingly taken the first ponderous steps down a path fringed with darkness and light, a path that would him lead to his true self.

He hated himself for almost every bit of it.

"I have been tainted by hate." He cried out in agony as he fell to his knees. "What have I become?!"

"Time Out." A voice, exuding a calm aura, called across the field. The whole world stood still, save for the ghost slowly floating to the hero. He placed an archaic amulet around the hero's neck, allowing him to step out of time. "You have unlocked the potential to become the hero we need you to be, Finn the Human."

Finn rose as he turned and came face-to-face with a ghost with glowing red eyes. He wore a purple hooded cloak, with a vest of a lighter purple underneath, and gray gauntlets on each hand, each with three wrist-watches. In the center of his chest, an old-fashioned clock was ticking rapidly. His handsome blue face was marred by a single scar that ran from his forehead, and through his left eye, making a jagged finish on his cheekbone. Instead of legs, a blue wisp wavered below his waist.

"Who- what are you?" Finn asked warily, still shocked by the whole situation. He nearly gasped in surprise when he realized the entire world had come to a stop.

The young ghost shifted to a child, and smiled reassuringly. "All in good time hero. Suffice it to say that I'm an... observer. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"Waiting? Did you... Did you know this would happen?" Finn asked quietly. There was no accusation in eyes, only sadness.

The ghost's smile faltered and a great sadness entered his visage. "I'm sorry about what happened to your brother. If I could have intervened, I would have. I did know this would happen. But there will be time to mourn later. You have to leave this land, and travel to an alternate stream of time. There is much work to be done."

Finn was quiet for a moment before heaving a sigh of resignation. He could feel his new-found power coiling in him like a snake. He feared it would consume him. "Is there any way we could get his body to his family first? They deserve to know what happened to him."

The ghost appeared as an old man once more. "Leave that to me. You, young hero, have an appointment to keep." As he spoke, he raised his staff above his head, causing the gears inside to whir to life. The hand of a clock appeared out of nothingness and spun once before dissipating. In its wake stood a wavering, blue portal. The ghost then pointed to the amulet around Finn's neck. "Whatever you do, don't ever remove this. Once you cross this threshold, your journey will begin. You will learn to master your hidden abilities. However, you will not return until you have learned all you can, until you have received all that your teachers can give you. It's time for you to go; the first mentor is waiting for you." He clasped Finn's shoulder and began to ease him toward the portal.

As they began to draw closer Finn had a few final questions. "Why did this happen? What is so important that Jake had to die?"

The ghost shifted to his middle-aged form as he spoke. "A great evil is on the horizon. Only you can hope to defeat it, but not as you are. So the training is highly necessary."

The portal was even closer now. Still more questions. "What about my girlfriend and my friends? What will happen to them?"

"When you return, it will be at the exact moment you left. Nothing will have changed." As he finished speaking, he became a child once more, and then shifted to an adult almost immediately.

The portal now loomed ahead of them, so close that Finn could touch it. A million thoughts raced through his head, questions that he should ask. "You never told me your name." Was all he said.

The ghost smiled brightly. "Names hold much power hero, and I am known by many. You, however, may call me Clockwork." He then gently shoved the human into the portal, which closed and then re-opened with a bright flash.

Another form flew from the portal almost immediately, and a tall figure clad in a strange mixture of armor, clothes and weaponry rolled through it, rising to his full height in front of the ghost. The stranger's features were hidden by a hood that revealed only the base of a strange helmet as it scanned the area.

"Clockwork," The figure said, its voice rendered unrecognizable by the helmet's synthesizer. "It's been too long."

The ghost smiled, extending his hand toward the strange warrior.

"Welcome home, hero." He said as his outstretched hand was accepted. "It's time for your final test. Are you ready?"

Finn's smirk under his helmet widened slightly. "I've been ready for this since the moment I left."

Clockwork nodded solemnly, then gestured to Finn's final trial. "Then begin."

Finn slowly approached the body of his brother, removing his strange gauntlets and helmet as he kneeled next to him. His shadowed gaze roved Jake's broken body before shifting back to the ghost. "Clockwork. The Time, if you would?"

The ghost nodded, snapping his fingers to bring the world back to life.

Finn placed his hand on the large crystal protruding from Jake's chest, whispering something to himself as a bright light shone from where his hand and the shard met. The light spread, engulfing the entire crystal. It quickly grew brighter, to the point that Clockwork had to shield his eyes. As the light finally receded, Clockwork returned his eyes to the pair. The crystal was gone, but Finn's hand remained, causing the dog's wound to slowly knit back together before his eyes.

Once the wound was fully healed, Finn pulled a strange kit from his hip. After rummaging around for a few seconds, he pulled a small syringe from the kit, which he quickly injected into Jake's arm. Seeing Clockwork's look of confusion, he simply replied that the contents would give Jake a bit of a 'jolt', waking him up. A moment passed, and then Jake suddenly jumped up, eyes wide, fists at the ready, before he realized what was going on.

"Finn?" Jake nearly shouted in surprise. He could barely recognize his brother. "What happened? I- I thought I was dead! Again..."

"It's a long story. Let's get you inside, then all shall be revealed!" He said in his trademark, goofy way.

* * *

Confringite- (Latin) Shatter -Pronounced con-frin-gee-tay


	2. Chapter 2

Jake stumbled as Finn led him into the Tree-Fort, barely able to support himself against his brother.

"Careful, Jake," Finn chided softly. "Your wounds are still tender. It'll take a few hours for you to be back to your normal butt-kicking self." He spoke slowly as he eased Jake onto their couch. "You need to rest, Jake."

Jake, who had already started dozing off, jerked back awake and attempted to laugh at his brother. "Rest? Forget that, man. I'm not tired! And besides, even if I was tired - which I'm not – you need to tell me what's going on! The last thing I remember is that Crystal Doofus stabbing me. Or would that be considered shooting? Hmm…" He mumbled to himself as he started drifting again.

Finn smiled to himself as he gently rested his hand on Jake's forehead. "Sleep, Jake. I'll tell you everything when you are rested." He spoke softly, allowing a small amount of his power to enter his touch and his words. The result was instantaneous; Jake couldn't have stayed awake if he had sat on a pin.

Finn rose slowly from his position by the couch and turned to face Clockwork.

"Clockwork, I just wanted to… thank… you?" He glanced around in puzzlement as he realized that ghost wasn't in the room. As he searched the house, he found a glowing scroll floating near the front door. He plucked it from the air quickly and scanned the message from his ghostly friend.

"_Finn,_

_I apologize for leaving without saying good-bye, but I have business to attend to in the past. It would seem that one of my other charges has threatened the balance of Time, all for correct answers on a test. I must attend to this matter immediately, but don't worry; I won't forget about you or your mission. Speaking of which, you may want to begin preparing for said mission. Don't worry; you won't be alone in this struggle. Find strength in your friends, as well as your enemies; only once you have all united, will victory be possible. Remember what you have been taught, and what you have been given._

_Sincerely,_

_Clockwork"_

"Aww, man." Finn sighed. 'Hmm, what to do, what to do…' As Finn contemplated his plans, he suddenly realized just how tired _he _was. "Geez, who would have thought that a few years training outside of time would make a guy so tired? I need some sleep." He said to no one to particular as he slowly climbed to his room. 'It feels like it's been so long.' He thought lazily as he slipped off his cloak, unthinkingly falling into the bed fully armored, crushing the bed with his immense weight. His legs hung over his bed by about a foot, another reminder of the changes his training had brought around, although that had been one of the more forced and painful ones. _Not that I'm not thankful for it now_.

As he drifted off to sleep in his own – now too small – bed for the first time in ten minutes - _How long has it been?_ - he fell into something that had become very common during his training: very vivid and very terrifying nightmares; the kind of things that made a person afraid to be alone at night.

_People die. But it doesn't matter to you._

_Everything. Yours to toy with. Release it. Open up. Kill. Everything. Until everything disappears before your eyes. _

_You bring forth nothing. You bless nothing. You save nothing. You merely erase. __**Completely**__._

"Finn! Wake up!" He was being shaken roughly. Taken by surprise, he grabbed the offending arm and rolled off the bed, dragging the intruder with him. On command, a jagged vibroblade extended from his wrist by a few inches and dug softly into the offender's throat. Finn stared intently into the unknown's eyes for a moment.

"Hey PB," He stated neutrally as the blade retracted back into his vambrace. "What's up?"

Bonnibel gaped at him like a fish out of water. "What's up? Wha- What's UP?!" She shouted as her temper flared slightly. "You almost slit my throat, that's 'What's up.'"

Finn smiled sheepishly, having the grace to look embarrassed. "Sorry, you startled me. Reflexes and all that. Didn't anyone ever teach you to never wake someone from a nightmare?" He asked, trying to defuse some of the tension.

Now it was Bubblegum's turn to look embarrassed. "Sorry. You just surprised me is all. When Jake called this morning, he was practically speaking gibberish. Now I understand some of what he meant…"

"Such as?" He asked, quirking his eyebrow.

"Well," she began. "You aren't exactly the same boy that attended the party at my palace last week." Finn chuckled. "What?" She asked, wondering what was so funny.

"Princess," He sighed. "You don't know the half of it."

She crinkled her eyes as she thought about what he said. "What happened to you, Finn?"

His smile slowly disappeared from his face, and she noticed the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth. They weren't the kind one gets from smiling very often.

"All in good time, Bonnibel. You'll have to wait, just like Jake. I'll send for you when I'm ready to talk. I have some people that I need to speak to. Business to take care of." He stood abruptly and walked out the door, grabbing his helmet and gauntlets, and putting them back on.

* * *

There was a knock at Marceline's door, three sharp, deliberate raps. The vampire queen floated to the door lazily and eased it open. If her heart still kept rhythm, it would have skipped a dozen beats when she saw who was at her door.

"_You!_" She gasped in surprise. "What- how are you still alive? Why are you here?!"

The hooded, armored figure inclined its head in acknowledgement of her questions.

"Nice to see you too, Marcy." He chuckled. "Nearly a thousand years, and that's how you greet me? Or has it been that long?" He puzzled it over in his head, trying to remember the last time she had really seen him. "No, it's only been a few days since our last jam sesh."

"Our last…" Her eyes widened in surprise. "_Finn?!_ How- wha- I don't…" She fumbled for words before collapsing on her couch. "It can't be! That was-"

"Almost a thousand years ago, yeah." He finished as he released the seals on his helmet. "I may not be quite the same as I was a few days ago." He pulled the helmet off his head and laid it next to him as he sat on the carpet across from his bewildered friend.

Unlike Bubblegum, who had been a bit preoccupied with nearly getting her throat tore out; Marceline looked Finn over, studying his features carefully. His features were sharper, as if every ounce of baby fat had been turned into sleek muscle. He had a patchwork of light scars crisscrossing his face, like he had taken a leisurely stroll through a wind tunnel full of razor blades. The long, flowing, golden hair that had graced his head had been cut short, and he had a light peppering of stubble on his chin. His blue eyes seemed distant, like he was staring _through _her.

He was staring at her.

"What happened to you?" She whispered.

He was silent, wondering what to say. He had planned on telling everyone at the same time, but he and Marcy had been through a lot together, before and _during _his training.

"Yesterday," He began. "Jake and I were attacked by those bone bandits. Their leader got his hands on the Crystal Apple somehow. He tried to kill me, but nearly did Jake in instead."

"Where is the guy?" She growled. "I'll rip him apart, send his soul to rot in the Nightosphere! I'll-"

"He's dead Marcy. I made sure of it." He cut in softly. Marceline was caught off guard.

"You… you killed him? Yourself? Wow, Finn, I don't know what to say…" She finished awkwardly. Finn waved her comment off and plowed ahead with his story.

"Anyways, Jake was dying in my arms, last words, all that bunk, and I was going nuts. Then a ghost appears, and starts going on about a mission I need to complete; some righteous quest. He sent me through a portal in time, so that I could train with the greatest warriors in history, and get properly outfitted for the coming storm."

"Coming storm?" She giggled despite the somber situation. "Finn, you sound like an old movie narrator." Then she was serious again. "What's coming?"

Finn gazed into space for a moment, and then stared at her with a little clarity.

"You'll find out with everyone else, Marcy. I still have people to gather. I'll call you."

He replaced his helmet on his head and left the house, and Marceline the Vampire Queen, whose head was spinning.

* * *

The snow covering the ground was up to his thighs, and the chill was seeping into his armor, despite the suit's environmental controls. _How the hell did I not feel this in shorts and a t-shirt?_ Finn pondered quietly as he trudged up the causeway to the Ice King's castle/mountain.

How would the Ice King react when he saw Finn again? Would he recognize him as Finn the Human, or as the man that Marcy had seen? _Guess there's only one way to find out…_

He clenched his fist and reached out to knock sharply on the door, but it flew inward as someone wrenched it open from the inside.

"Well?" The blue-skinned man asked pointedly.

"Well, what?" Finn asked in confusion. _Definitely not going according to plan._

"Well! Where are my cookies? Surely you didn't come all the way out here, without my Fudge Monkey Bars!" Ice King growled.

"Sorry, but I think you have me confused with someone else. Don't you… remember me?" Finn asked dejectedly. Surely he would remember something.

"Remember you? All I'm remembering is my serious lack fudgy monkey goodness!" The Ice King growled, his hands taking on a menacing blue glow. "Be gone, false cookie prophet!" He shouted as he hurled a bolt of ice lightning at Finn's face.

Finn ducked, then dove for the Ice King, tackling him around the waist and forcing him to the ground. He grabbed the crown from the man's head and tossed it to the far side of the room.

"Calm down, Simon! It's me! Focus man, force out the voices and the magic and _remember_." He laced the last word with as much power as he dared, forcing the clouds in Simon's mind to dissipate, and fade away to nothing.

The old man's icy blue eyes cleared, and he could truly _see_ for the first time in _so long._ His nose shortened and drew back into his face, while his hair's length was cut by half and darkened by a few shades.

"What in the world? Where am I? Why is it so cold?" Simon asked in a daze as he gazed at his surroundings. "What happened to-" He faltered when his sight rested on Finn, who was kneeling a few feet away in a fighting stance. "_Six_?! Oh, thank goodness, it's you! I thought I was all alone… Where's Marcy?" He asked in fear, he didn't remember life with the crown, only the before and the after.

Finn eased his stance and carefully approached Simon. "She's fine, Simon. Just fine."

He grabbed the man in a rough embrace, turning his head away, and keeping all emotion out of his voice.

"I just got done talking to her, Simon. She's at her home, probably trying to sort through some… interesting information I sorta dumped on her." Finn spoke slowly, trying to make sure the full impact of his words hit the dazed old man.

"That's wonderful news!" Simon spouted, seeming overjoyed. "I was afraid that-" He faltered as the full statement registered. "What do you mean, 'her home?' Where are we anyways? Last I remember, we were heading south towards… We were attacked and there were… too many… How long, Six?"

"Simon…" Finn spoke softly, trying to placate him.

"How long was I under its power?!" He shouted, causing the icy chandelier above them to start tinkling.

Finn stared at him sadly, wishing he could have had more time to soften the blow. He seated himself on the cold floor, not wanting to risk one of the delicately made ice chairs.

"Nearly a millennia." He said at length. "I tried to bring you back every minute of every hour of every day for the next year, after that attack. But I hadn't begun my magical training yet, so it was far beyond anything I was capable of doing. I transported Marceline to her father, just as we had planned if something were to happen to you before I moved on. And then I left."

Finn lifted his eyes from the floor and turned his gaze back to Simon, who looked like he had just been kicked in the stomach, multiple times.

"I… I think I'm going to pass out now, if that's alright with you." He said slowly before collapsing. Finn, using his heightened agility, darted across the room and managed to catch him before he struck the ground.

"I'm taking you back to my home, Simon. You need someplace warm to sleep." He said as he slung his old friend's unconscious body over his shoulders and began the long walk home.

_That went better than I expected._


End file.
